Posted by Adam

Tuesday September 15, 2009

Patrick Swayze has died after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

The Dirty Dancing star — who was diagnosed with the disease in January 2008 and had been undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments ever since — passed away Monday with his family by his side.

“Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” his publicist, Annett Wolf, said in a statement. No other details were given.

Recent reports claimed Swayze, after suffering a series of medical setbacks, demanded to be discharged from hospital because he was keen to die at home.

“Patrick’s bodily functions appear to be shutting down,” a source told American tabloid the National Enquirer.

“But he recently told Lisa, ‘I refuse to die in a hospital room. I’ll go on my own terms — in our home and in my own bed.’

“He’s terrified of being admitted to the hospital because he feels that he’d never come out alive.

“Patrick comes in for regular treatments. But the treatments leave him so physically drained that when he leaves, it’s often in a wheelchair.”

“Patrick’s doctors found scar tissue around his heart during a regular physical examination a few weeks ago, which led them to believe he had a mild heart attack,” added the family insider.

“Patrick has been going back and forth to Cedars-Sinai for treatment, but just when the doctors thought the antibiotics killed the infection, it returned. Patrick is in constant pain, but he refuses to give in.”

Swayze’s breakout role was in the 1983 ensemble movie, The Outsiders, but he was best known for his role as Johnny Castle in 1987′s Dirty Dancing, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

He was also nominated for Golden Globes for his role in 1990′s Ghost opposite Demi Moore and for 1995′s To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.

His career also included performances in such films as Red Dawn, Point Break and Donnie Darko. His last role was in A&E series The Beast.

Earlier this year, the star announced that he would write a memoir with his wife Lisa Niemi and was in the process of meeting with publishers.

“I am starting work on my new book, in addition to enjoying the fantastic response from everyone on my A&E series,” he said in March.

“I am one of the lucky ones with pancreatic cancer that is responding well to the treatment,” he said in a statement in March, at the same time some reports claimed he only had weeks to live. “There is a brand new, 12-week old, Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named Kumasai in my life who is gorgeous and already showing that he will be one special dog… I have so much to be thankful for at this time.”

Swayze has been married to Niemi since 1975. They met when she took dance lessons from Swayze’s mother. They have no children.

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